Beginners’ Guide to Birding
Comedic
Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor
Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!
Was your New Year’s resolution a pact to yourself to get outdoors and
make 2012 your Big Year? In this
beginner’s guide we’ll direct you to where you can find online field guides,
deals on binoculars, regional checklists and new birding buddies to go on trips
with. Grab a notebook and start
practicing your birdcalls and soon you will be having the biggest year ever!
Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson portray
three men from very different walks of life, facing a mid-life crisis, a
work-life crisis and a no-life crisis.
In the biggest competition of their lives, they undertake an
unforgettable trek through North America, engaging in hilarious and bizarre
adventures and forming friendships that will last a lifetime!
Online
Field Guides
Many hardcore birders like to have physical field
guides that they can take with them, and many people employ the use of regional
field guides, as they offer more specific advice. As you are starting your
birding adventure, try using a site like http://www.whatbird.com/, which allows you to search for
species in many different ways (including by region and by appearance). What
Bird also has handy apps for e-readers and smart phones, which allow you to
access their immense database on the go!
Binoculars
If you want
to get serious about birding, you need a proper pair of binoculars. When you’re
searching for your first pair, you need to pay attention to seven things:
magnification, objective lens size, close focus, field of view, roof vs. porro
prism, eye relief, and the 3 Ws (weight, waterproof and warranty). Go to http://store.onlinenaturemall.com/article-binoculars.html for help choosing the type of binoculars
that are right for you, as well as suggestions on where to buy them for the
best price.
Regional
Checklists
The best way
to start birding is to observe (and learn to recognize) the birds in your own
backyard! To do this, you should consult
a checklist of the birds that appear in your region. One of the best sites to
visit when looking for information on species in your region is http://www.wildbirds.com/FindBirds/StateProvinceChecklistsatWildBirdscom/tabid/198/Default.aspx. Wild Birds has each state in a United
States (as well as most of Canada) represented on their site, with
comprehensive checklists, reading lists and relevant links included.
Birding Buddies
The best way to find a buddy to
bird with is to join different groups for birding enthusiasts. Two of the
largest birding organizations in the United States are the American Birding
Association and the National Audubon Society. Each of these larger, national
organizations can steer you towards either region-specific sectors of their
organization, or smaller birding clubs in your area. You could also use http://www.Meetup.com to find birders in your area, and local
events or trips to take part in.
*Disclosure: Think Jam/Fox Publicity and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment provided me a review copy of this film.*
My Dad and I used to carry around an Auduban book with us and identify birds we didn't know.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was big into birds as well. Plenty of birthdays and father's days AI bought something bird related for him. Because of him I know what Purple Herons are. :-)
ReplyDelete